Removing lacquer from brass plating
A few years ago I made a pot rack in my kitchen using unlacquered brass lamp pipes and fittings. They have a lovely patina on them and I’m really happy with it. I bought more pipes and fittings from the same company to make open shelving in my kitchen. However, I was concerned about brass being too soft to hold the weight of the shelves so I went for brass-plated steel piping. Unfortunately, the only options they had were lacquered. I want to remove the lacquer from the brass plating so the shelves and the pot rack can have a similar patina. Every search I’ve done online (even when expressly asking for brass-plating) says, “make sure your piece is solid brass and not brass-plated before you begin.” Is this a fool’s errand? Am I destined to fail on my quest for matching antiqued brass elements in my kitchen? Pics included of the pot rack, the desired patina, the current brass-plated pipes, and the inspiration for the shelves (though mine will be wood not marble). (Yes, I know the pipes look very thin to carry that much weight BUT my house was built in 1903 and the walls and ceiling are original shiplap. That stuff is solid and anything screwed into it isn’t going anywhere. I designed it with support brackets every 12” and the supports screw into the ceiling too.)